Windows 8 Fail: 42% of Prospective Buyers Going Apple

Antivirus software maker Avast surveyed more than 100,000 US Windows PC users and discovered what analyst expectations for Apple’s business going forward — Macs sales will continue to do well and iPad sales will boom. However, a solid majority of PC users don’t plan on buying any new computers. Microsoft’s Windows 8 fail continues.

“Windows 7 works just fine,” George Otte, CEO, Geeks on Site, a PC repair service, told USA Today. “It’s not a major priority to make a change, especially if there might be apprehensions about bugs.”

Although Windows 8 is said to be more secure than its 2009 predecessor, Windows 7, there have been widespread reports of app incompatibilities, an issue that has plagued Microsoft operating system releases for decades.

Of course, there has been widespread griping about unpopular user interface changes Redmond implemented in Windows 8, as well.

That said, Avast’s US Windows user poll found only 16 percent of respondents plan to buy a new computer and, of those, a plurality indicated they would get a Windows 8 product of some kind. However, 30 percent planned to buy an iPad and 12 percent want a Macintosh.

When Steve Ballmer said Microsoft Surface, a variation on the Windows 8 theme, sales were modest to date, people thought he was being uncharacteristically humble. Apparently, “modest” is the most expansive word he dared to use.

So, yes, it’s very likely that Mac sales will continue to outperform the market and the iPad will continue to dominate in tablets. Clearly, Windows 8 has not only failed to excite buyer interest, it likely won’t do anything to stop Microsoft’s accelerating market share losses…

If Windows 8’s a dud, perhaps Ballmer will finally get shown the door — silver lining, always look for the silver lining.

Allan Nichols

Windows 8 works great, sure their are things to hate just like any OS and granted it takes some getting used to. I admit it can be a tad bit frustrating to power users and admins at first, but once you learn where to find things beneath the surface you will find the best Windows experinece yet. Add in some wicked fast boot times espeically with an SSD and if you have a touchscreen monitor, AIO, or laptop/tablet it works even better with a full and fluid touch experience adding a new level of depth. Before the Redmond haters and Open Source Zelots attack me keep in mind I am an avid nix user (Fedora/CentOS), have Android on my GS3, Android on my Lenovo IdeaPad and probably would not use Windows if only for gamings and work. Just giving credit where credit is due and looking at it from an end user POV Windows 8 is a great OS plain and simple !!! Would I install it in a production environment today ? No but any good systems admin knows not to install a new OS or SP right off the bat unless you have too !

http://www.facebook.com/mryangyu Yang Yu

not reputable source. “surveyed more than 100,000 US” sounds like bull secretion…

Nimf

Ubuntu time has come! I switched couple months ago and I love it. If one is dependant on some apps that run only on win, virtualbox can help in this case.

SimeonJeanJulien

42000 people spending money on apples overpriced products.

Ashma Randi Sharma

Windows 8 blows, it’s time to move to Mac

http://www.facebook.com/mike.curtis.31542 Mike Curtis

I built a new machine and installed Windows 8 Pro. Only have had one problem. Had to install a PS driver to get Windows Reader to print over network printer. Boot and shutdown are incredibly fast. Windows 8 has a lot of nice features built in-revamped Defender, defrag for hard drives and optimizer for SSD. And Internet Explorer 10 opens instantly.

http://twitter.com/ddaversa Dario D’Aversa

I have a hard time believing this. I own a Macbook Pro, an iPad, iPad 3… I would get rid of all of them for a nice touch-enabled Win8 laptop. It’s a great OS, once people get up to speed with it, it will dominate.

EX-Mac user

what kind of an idiot would spend more money on mac that actually has less specs for more money . and believe me if you’re dump enough not to understand windows 8 then mac os will seem like a jigsaw for you and not even a pretty one . you will just get an ugly slow expensive and VERY GREY jigsaw that’s all nothing more . PS : apple is a big fat liar in case you just didn’t know it .

http://twitter.com/dbruced1 Bruce

Come on everybody, what’s wrong with using a psycho-duel-personality OS?

rickcain2320

Microsoft has tried to extend its unpopular and frankly odd looking user interface to its server and sharepoint products. Its a huge step backwards. Sharepoint 2003 looked simple, perhaps a bit austere. Sharepoint 2007 was fleshed out better, Sharepoint 2010 began to exhibit Microsoft’s UI logic flaws, and Sharepoint 2013 is a visual mess. Network Administrators don’t want to be confronted with ugly confusing looking interfaces, they have things to do. MS should have left Server 2012 alone.

rickcain2320

ALL operating systems work fast when you first install them. Come back in 6 months and tell us if Windows 8 is snappy and boots and shuts down fast.

rickcain2320

Triple personality, it has three distinct screens and its hard to flip between them.

rickcain2320

Ferraris tend to have smaller engines than corvettes, I’m just sayin…

Jim

Windows8 is a bust ! I’ve used both Mac & Windows. Mac is easy to use period! Window up to 7 is easter to use period! There is little differace in figuring out how to use either. However , Windows8 is not straight forward and is very difficult to figure out as a desktop user and not much better with a laptop. That’s my option with 30+ years with computers.

Rune Jensen

I don’t know and you may be right, but even I would consider a Mac as my next machine. I really like what I see in the UI. I guess it’s not about money, but about the user experiense. I have tried Windows8, and it just wasn’t for me.